How is a story about the government dictating the future by controlling information about the past relevant in a discussion about noise complaints? Referencing HOA-level pettiness seems more relevant.
Unless your point was "anything the government does is bad", in which case 1984 is a bad example.
I'm assuming he's referring to sitting up an environment where citizens are incentivized to report other citizens for crimes, leading to reduced trust among everyone.
He could also have referenced 'Papers Please', or any movie about East Germany.
Unless your point was "anything the government does is bad", in which case 1984 is a bad example.